Dana Cuomo
I’m an assistant professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Lafayette College.
I received my dual title PhD in Women’s Studies and Geography from Penn State University.
I’m a feminist political geographer by training and study the spatial dynamics of intimate partner violence. I use qualitative methods to unravel how institutional (e.g., the law, courts and police) responses to intimate partner violence (tech-enabled coercive control & nonlethal firearm abuse) affect survivors’ holistic security needs and experiences of bodily autonomy. I prioritize community-based research that incorporates local stakeholders throughout the research process, from designing research objectives to data collection, analysis and writing up findings.
My scholarship is informed by my five years of experience providing advocacy services survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault and stalking in rural Central Pennsylvania and at the University of Washington in Seattle. I use my research and professional experiences as a victim advocate to engage students in feminist activism and community-based research.